Columbia Records has issued numerous
Dion compilations in the past. First, there was 1991's
Bronx Blues: The Columbia Recordings, which featured a number of left-field selections and was a surprisingly fine collection despite not including "Runaround Sue" and "The Wanderer." Then there was 1997's
The Road I'm On, a double-disc retrospective that featured pretty much everything from
Bronx Blues ("Sweet Papa Di" excepted) and the hits from the Laurie period. The Essential Dion showcases 14 cuts, all of them either major or minor
Dion hits. This set has all the number ones from Laurie and Columbia -- the aforementioned as well as "Ruby Baby," "Drip Drop" and "Abraham, Martin and John," and contains the first-ever CD release of "No One's Waiting for Me," for those who would have resisted another
Dion collection otherwise. ~ Thom Jurek